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Words Worth, Zipped

Submitted by Benefitz Betty on Sun, 2018-01-07 07:26

Tree Top Trekking ... accross the Universe

"A little pair that hang in air,
Been mistress also of a clock,
(And one, too, not in crazy plight)
Twelve strokes that clock would have been telling
Under the brow of old Helvellyn--
Its bead-roll of midnight,"

"He hears a sound and sees a light,
And in a moment calls to mind
That 'tis the village MERRY-NIGHT!
Although before in no dejection,
At this insidious recollection
His heart with sudden joy is filled,--"

"Treetop Trek’s managing director, Mike Turner, acknowledges with weary resignation that he is up against not only present-day opponents of the scheme, but also the romantic poets associated with the area.“It’s a beautiful body of water. We would not dispute that. What we do challenge is the assertion that [the zip wire] would have a visual impact,” said Turner, who emphasises the “manmade” aspect of the reservoir, surrounded by what he described as a managed forest. “I love the fells as much as the next person, but what we are looking at doing would have a minuscule environment impact. It’s literally a few cables across the valley and an improved cycle track. This is not about instinct or emotion. We need to look at it objectively. The problem is that when people start using language about the romantic poets it loses that objectivity."

"Look fairly like a lawful earning.
Nor has thought time to come and go,
To vibrate between yes and no;
For, cries the Sailor, 'Glorious chance
That blew us hither!--let him dance,
Who can or will!--my honest soul,
Our treat shall be a friendly bowl!'"

"“The Lake District is a tourist destination – with the highest numbers of visitors after London – and its entire economy is built around that.” Turner has the backing of Cumbria Tourism, where he sits on the board as its “small operator representative”. Its vice-chairman, Jim Walker, points out that Turner was required to leave the room last year when the board discussed supporting the development. “While recognising the debate on both sides of issue, the board decision was that the principle of the proposal aligns with Cumbria Tourism’s longstanding commitment to promoting the county as the UK’s ‘adventure capital’,”

"This was the outside proclamation,
This was the inside salutation;
What bustling--jostling--high and low!
A universal overflow!
What tankards foaming from the tap!
What store of cakes in every lap!"

"Thirty-six people at a time in overalls and helmets would then be transported along tracks using green “military-style” vehicles that Turner says would be diesel-powered at first but which would become electric within three years."

Countess of Ossalinsky v Manchester Corporation: 1883 "Land bounding Thirlmere in the Lake District was acquired for use as a reservoir to supply water to Manchester. The prospect that the land, because of its particular characteristics, would be likely to be developed as a reservoir was a matter which might give the land an enhanced value. That should be taken into account. The particular purpose to which the Manchester Corporation was going to put the land should not be taken into account. But the fact of the acquisition of the land for this particular purpose might have evidential value showing that suggested alternative reservoir development schemes ‘are not visionary, but are schemes with a certain probability in them.’"

"Cables are not required to be lit, adds Turner, who says they will simply need to be plotted on flight charts. Then there is the position of Cumbria county council, which is recommending a refusal of the planning application on the basis that it is “likely to increase the risk and danger and inconvenience to the users of the highway” as a result of drivers on roads near the lake being distracted."

"What thumping--stumping--overhead!
The thunder had not been more busy:
With such a stir you would have said,
This little place may well be dizzy!
'Tis who can dance with greatest vigour--
'Tis what can be most prompt and eager;"

The Harrison of the North : https://www.harrisonofthenorth.com/announcement-battle-of-britain "The Sarmatians were the best horsemen of the age of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and the soldiers of the Sarmatian cohorts who defended the north of Britain for the Romans from around 175 AD onwards, acquired the right to settle at Ribchester when they had completed their service, which is just south of the Harrison's traditional homelands in Cumberland, which the Harrison's later settled in 1056 AD."

"If such the bright amends at last.
Now should you say I judge amiss,
The CHERRY TREE shows proof of this;
For soon of all the happy there,
Our Travellers are the happiest pair;
All care with Benjamin is gone--
A Caesar past the Rubicon!"

"The flooding of a Lake District valley in the late 19th century was hugely controversial at the time and precipitated the development of an organised landscape conservation movement nationally. The story of Thirlmere is a fascinating record of the recognition of the landscape as a national asset, but eventually the needs of a fast growing urban population were deemed by Parliament to outweigh the modification of a landscape renowned for its great natural beauty. The first water was delivered from the reservoir to the city of Manchester in 1894."

"With bowl that sped from hand to hand,
The gladdest of the gladsome band,
Amid their own delight and fun,
They hear--when every dance is done,
When every whirling bout is o'er--
The fiddle's 'squeak'--that call to bliss,
Ever followed by a kiss;

"The dam infrastructure itself is now considered to be of architectural and historical interest as it was the first English masonry gravity dam and one of only two arch dams in England ... The catchment land and reservoir infrastructure is now owned and operated by United Utilities who own 4,700 hectares of land in the Thirlmere Valley. The reservoir supplies about 11 per cent of the water demand of the North West of England. Over the past ten years improvements have been made to the planting regime to enhance its appearance and wildlife value and to open up views. Much of this has been a result of late 20th century battles over the interpretation and implementation of the forestry aspects of the 1879 Act authorising the reservoir. Access and Common Land issues have continued to be a source of disagreement but recreational use of the Thirlmere Estate has been more actively encouraged by United Utilities including boating on the reservoir."

"Is gone--returns--and with a prize;
With what?--a Ship of lusty size;
A gallant stately Man-of-war,
Fixed on a smoothly-sliding car."

"Although Thirlmere was referred to in the 18th century guidebooks by West and Gilpin, it does not appear to have been a hugely popular tourist attraction; instead it provided a through route to other destinations."

"This was the Flag-ship at the Nile,
The Vanguard--you may smirk and smile,
But, pretty Maid, if you look near,
You'll find you've much in little here!"

The valley did, however, capture the imagination of the Romantic poets. The Wordsworths and Coleridge often met in the valley while travelling between their respective homes in Grasmere and Keswick and their meeting point was marked by the ‘Rock Of Names’ .."

"One eye he had, which, bright as ten,
Burned like a fire among his men;
Let this be land, and that be sea,
Here lay the French--and 'thus' came we!'
Hushed was by this the fiddle's sound,
The dancers all were gathered round,
And, such the stillness of the house,
You might have heard a nibbling mouse;"

"Today, walkers and climbers are attracted to Helvellyn, the third highest mountain in England... but it is for the theme of the early conservation movement that the Valley stands out...The Thirlmere Valley is one of the most significant locations in the development of the early conservation movement in the Lake District. Despite the success of the Manchester Corporation in achieving the construction of the dam and reservoir in the valley, the protest against this was a seminal event in the history of landscape conservation. The protest inspired further, successful campaigns in the Lake District against proposals which threatened the beauty of its landscape, and the key protagonists, all followers of John Ruskin, were inspired to found the National Trust in order to purchase land for its protection. The National Trust owns very little land in the valley (149 hectares of land in the valley, of which 101 hectares is inalienable), but the Thirlmere Reservoir stands astestament to the fundamental struggles of the emergent conservation movement in the Lake District."

"'A bowl, a bowl of double measure,'
Cries Benjamin, 'a draught of length,
To Nelson, England's pride and treasure,
Her bulwark and her tower of strength!'"

"..other factors include a request by the Ministry of Defence that the structures be fitted with aviation warning lights. Treetop Trek’s response is to point to MoD standard guidance on tall structures – such as buildings or masts – and say that it will not be building anything of that nature. Cables are not required to be lit, adds Turner, who says they will simply need to be plotted on flight charts."

"Heard--and in opposition quaffed
A deep, determined, desperate draught!
Nor did the battered Tar forget,
Or flinch from what he deemed his debt;"

"Those opposed to the project are steeling themselves for the prospect of direct action. Ambling down a track which he believed would one day be used to ferry thrill-seekers to one of the zip wire’s launch platforms, Heslam envisaged how vehicles might be slowed down or impeded: “We have every right to be here, and who knows? We might just decide to take our time and walk up and down here, or even sit down to have a picnic.”

"'We must be gone.
Thus, after two hours' hearty stay,
Again behold them on their way!"

“Here was this golden opportunity to look at the North in a different way, to refuse to accept that northeners should be poorer, to use my experience as a businessman and entrepreneur, to use connectivity, to help the northern companies I had worked with to do more investment and more trade, and to help those northeners I visited on school visits be able to get higher quality jobs, and have living standards and career options that their mums and dads were denied because the connectivity up here was so much poorer than the connectivity I was used to on the London Tube network. “To me, it followed on naturally, it was a mission to make the North more successful. It excited me.”

"Fast-forward to 2018, and it is six spurs like these, to be built into the planned route of the High Speed 2 line between London, Leeds and Manchester with £300m from the Government, which will allow it to join up with the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail (also known as HS3) running East to West."

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"Plans to create a new Northern Forest stretching from Liverpool to Hull have been kick-started by the government.

It is providing £5.7m to increase tree cover along a belt spanning Manchester, Leeds and Bradford.

The project will cost £500m over 25 years. The balance of the funds will need to be raised by charity.

Environmentalists have welcomed the planned 50 million new trees, but say ministers must stop allowing ancient woodland to be felled.

The UK has one of the lowest rates of woodland in Europe and the area to be covered by the Northern Forest is one of the most denuded in England, with tree cover less than 8%.

The emphasis of the project will be to increase tree cover around major conurbations to 20%. There will also be a focus on river valleys, where there are benefits for flood prevention and soil loss - as well as wildlife.

But these areas will soak up funding, leaving many of the northern hills just as bleak and treeless in the coming 25 years...

"But the Woodland Trust, which is leading the scheme with local Community Forests, says the new wooded areas shouldn't be under-estimated, as they will greatly enhance the environment for people in northern cities.

Its conservation director, Austin Brady, said the benefits would be strongest in areas where there's been industrial activity, over-grazing and neglectful farming.

He told BBC News: "We're delighted the prime minister's supporting our project - it's great to get the idea of the Northern Forest on the map.

"Admittedly the government's cash contribution isn't huge, but it will help us to unlock other funding."

"Mr Brady also said the Trust hoped to benefit from funds allocated for mitigating the environmental impact of major transport projects expected in the north, such as road-building and HS2.

But Paul de Zylva from Friends of Earth told BBC News: "It is a supreme irony that tree planters will have to get funding from HS2, which threatens 35 ancient woodlands north of Birmingham.

"You simply can't compare the biodiversity value of new sticks in the ground with ancient forest.

"If the government really cared about woodlands it wouldn't be routing a high speed train through them. And it wouldn't be allowing this weight of this project to be carried by charity."

"The government has been slipping behind schedule on a promise it made to plant 11 million trees. The Woodland Trust say last year saw the lowest level of planting in England for many years - just 1,000 hectares.

The forest announcement forms part of the government's long-delayed 25 Year Environment Plan, which will set out how ministers aim to leave the environment in a better state than they inherited it.

The report is due this week and environmentalists say it should be judged not on its ambitious sentiments but on concrete policies backed by cash.

Commenting on the forest announcement, Mr Gove said: "Trees are some of our most cherished natural assets and living evidence of our investment for future generations.

"Not only are they a source of beauty and wonder, but a way to manage flood risk, protect precious species, and create healthier places for us to work and live.

"This new Northern Forest is an exciting project that will create a vast ribbon of woodland cover in northern England, providing a rich habitat for wildlife to thrive, and a natural environment for millions of people to enjoy."

The description of the project from the Woodland Trust suggests that the forest will be less of a green ribbon and more of a sparsely-threaded doily."

"LIKE IT or not, Michael Gove is proving to be one of the most radical - and effective – Environment Secretaries and plans to create a ‘Northern Forest’ stretching 120 miles from Hull to Liverpool is indicative of the blue-sky thinking now taking place.

One of the central planks of the raft of policies being announced by Theresa May as she recalibrates the Government, the 25-year project involving the planting of 50 million trees reflects Mr Gove’s desire to raise awareness about the great outdoors, agriculture and the natural environment.

Yet, while the initial investment of just £5.7m has already seen the initiative dubbed the ‘National Flowerhouse’, wider questions persist about the Government’s wider approach towards the environment.

If Ministers are so committed to linking the North’s cities with woodland walks, trails and so on, they need to apply the same principle to Crossrail for the North to lessen the impact of road congestion and dangerous pollution levels in some areas.

If Ministers are so committed to rural Britain – Mr Gove said last week that he was in awe of the “beauty of our natural landscapes” – this stance appears to be at odds with North Yorkshire’s contentious fracking plans.

And if Ministers are so committed to the environment, why have national park authorities – and other bodies – suffered above-average budget cuts in recent years? This is not to criticise the Government’s ambition – it is to ensure this policy has genuine roots, from an environmental and economic perspective, and is not just a fig leaf to the North."

A strategy is in place to make Scarborough Borough Council a single-use-plastic-free authority by the end of this year.

A motion was passed by the borough council yesterday (Monday 8 January) that includes an end to the purchase and procurement of single use plastics (SUPs) through the council's supply chain.

It would see the end of the sale of SUPs such as bottles, cutlery and drinking straws in council buildings as well as working with tenants and operators in commercial properties in council owned buildings to do the same.

The government has announced a consultation into a possible tax on single use plastics, but the borough council wants to eliminate their use as soon as possible.

Every year, Scarborough's South Bay in particular is littered with plastics that are then washed into the sea.

Councillor Mark Vesey is from the Borough Council, he says the whole council recognises something needs to be done to protect our seas on the Yorkshire Coast.

He said:

"It was a pretty unanimous vote I think. All parties are concerned about it, as we all are, and of course it's not just Scarborough, it's Whitby and Filey, it's the Yorkshire Coast.

We want this to be the best place to visit on holiday or visit at any time of year and we want out sea life to be healthy, our seas to be clean and our beaches to be clean as well.

We're particularly aware of this in Scarborough because obviously in the summer, with so many visitors, there's an awful lot of plastic gets left behind.

Not only buckets and spades but bottles, polystyrene chip trays, disposable lighters, coin cups from the amusement arcades and even disposable nappies are left."

"In Irish folklore, tampering with fairy forts can cause one to become cursed...."

"This legendeary outlaw – the Robin Hood of the north – is said to have lived in Inglewood Forest, north of Penrith. As legend goes, he was renowned for his archery skills, and after being captured for stealing game, the King offered Adam a pardon for his acrions if he could shoot an apple on his young son’s head. It is said that Adam did this competently and so was granted his pardon."

"It is said that a fairy castle is just off the main A64, near to the lake. And, Elva Hill is believed to be a fairy hill, where there’s a gateway to a secret world..."

"ENERGY company INEOS has confirmed it plans to frack for gas underneath the North York Moors National Park.

Tom Pickering of INEOS confirmed: “INEOS Shale believes in the proven safety of shale extraction. Therefore while drilling will never take place in a National Park we can frack underneath without impact on the surface above.

“In support of this activity we want to do a geological survey in 2018 to build a 3D picture of the rock strata before drilling test wells to establish the best places for extraction.”

He made the statement following a recent article in a national newspaper which suggested that the company “plan to drill up to 10 exploratory boreholes around the southern edge of the moors”.

In December 2015, the Government opted to allow fracking 1,200 metres below national parks and sites of special scientific interest - as long as drilling takes place from outside the protected areas.

INEOS has been developing its plans for several years. The company staged a public meeting and Q&A at the Milton Rooms in Malton in May 2016 at which they discussed their plans for the area.

Following that meeting, Gary Haywood, INEOS Shale CEO, said that they aimed to establish a “long-term conversation” with local communities and their representatives.

The company is not just interested in northern Ryedale. INEOS Shale hold exploratory licences, awarded in December 2015, for several areas across the whole district.

In November 2017, Norton Town Council said that it was considering holding a public meeting with other neighbouring councils following concerns permission had been sought to carry out seismic testing in Norton and Settrington.

That same month, the Frack Free Ryedale group released details of meetings between INEOS and the county council, though an INEOS spokesman said that “introductory meetings and consultation is expected of responsible developers”.

Ryedale councillor Mike Potter said that the increased number of applications will be a “wake-up call” for the district.

He said: “I see this as just the next phase in what was pretty obvious all along.

“It’s a wake-up call for all the complacent people around Ryedale who say we can’t do anything about it. All of a sudden the reality’s going to hit.

“We are moving on a phase and all of a sudden it’s not just one operation at Kirby Misperton.

“This isn’t scaremongering - this is just reaction to what the industry’s saying.”

"A special meeting of the authority - which was packed with protestors against fracking - decided by 16 votes to 10 with one abstention not to have an expert to put the council's case against fracking at the public inquiry next month into the new North Yorkshire County Council Waste and Minerals Joint Plan...

"Around 150 people gathered outside Ryedale House prior to the meeting, but only 30 were allowed into the council chamber with council officers stating health and safety regulations as the reason for the restricted numbers...."

"The National Trust has unveiled plans to rededicate the "world's greatest war memorial" - Scafell Pike and a dozen other Lake District summits given to the charity after the First World War.

England's highest mountain was gifted to the National Trust by landowner Lord Leconfield in 1919 in "perpetual memory of the men of the Lake District who fell for God and King, for freedom, peace and right in the Great War"...

"By rededicating the peaks, not only are we remembering the past, but looking to the future to ensure this inspiring landscape can be enjoyed by generations to come."..

"He said it was important that the millions of visitors to the national park, which was made a World Heritage Site in 2017, played their part alongside organisations such as the National Trust to look after the fells for the future."

"The fact of the matter is that every Government, of whom I have had any knowledge over the last 60 years, have wrestled with the complexities of what that actually means.

There have been many attempts to try to find a way to balance the conflicting arguments around this subject. I came from a small-business background. There were two of us, but I ended up presiding over some of the largest public expenditure programmes in some of the most advanced, sophisticated fields including space, aerospace, housing and, of course, urban deprivation.

The simplistic language of getting off one’s back, sacking a few civil servants and undoing red tape is a million light years away from the responsibility of presiding over major technologically advanced programmes on which our industrial wellbeing depends.

There is a tendency to talk about industrial strategy as though it was about industry – 12 per cent of our economy. If you are really going to talk about wealth creation across the economy, you have to talk about efficiency in the public sector just as prominently as excellence in the service sector...

"The more they can delegate the execution and administration of those services to the people who live, eat and breathe the community of which they are members, the more effectively they will engender the support, enthusiasm, and involvement in the partnerships that are central to getting the benefits that we want to a wider community."

"The bicycle was once a symbol of women's emancipation, with suffragettes taking to two wheels to spread their message of equal rights. But the latest figures show a big gender divide when it comes to cycling. Why?"

"The time has come for Britney to move onwards and upwards from her Las Vegas residency, her agent has confirmed today.

The 36-year-old pop star, who has held a residency at The Axis in Planet Hollywood Las Vegas for the last four years, announced a new tour of the UK this morning, with dates at the London O2, the Manchester Arena and most importantly Scarborough.

“Britney’s residency has been a huge success and Las Vegas is great, sure,” explained her agent Chuck Williams this morning, “but it’s time for Britney to take her career to new levels.

“This Scarborough concert will truly cement her status as a pop queen in a way that countless awards and million-selling albums never could.

“We chose Scarborough because Google Maps shows that it has a beach, which is more than can be said for Las Vegas, and it has a real castle, not some gawdy faux-historic monstrosity like we see on the strip in Vegas.

“It’s going to be huge.”

Scarborough mayor Christopher James welcomed the news, telling reporters, “This is great news for Scarborough.

“People down South say us Northerners are behind the times, so having the ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ singer performing here will really show them.”

"Fake emergencies, fake best friends, and finding the biggest guy in the room — women are sharing their advice for how to avoid unwanted male attention, and the random acts of kindness that have saved them from daunting situations..."

"A new front in the ongoing battle between the shale gas industry and environmental campaigners is set to open in Yorkshire this year when one of the country’s biggest operators starts work which could pave the way for more fracking in the region... "

"You are wearing the figure-enhancing dress for a reason – and it is not to show off your trigonometry knowledge. Men like looking at beautiful women, and will pay good money to do so. If you don’t like it, put your clothes back on..."

"HANNAH Hauxwell was, in many respects, a pioneer of reality television. This reluctant celebrity was the iconic Dales farmer whose daily struggles in one of North Yorkshire’s most desolate outposts earned international fame, and respect, following the broadcast of Too Long a Winter, the acclaimed 1973 documentary inspired by an article in this newspaper.

It led to Yorkshire Television’s phone lines being jammed for three days with offers of help, and a campaign set up to supply electricity to the remote Low Birk Hatt Farm where she had lived alone since the age of 35 following the death of her parents and uncle. A rare interview in 2011, on the eve of her 85th birthday provided a fascinating insight into the Dales’ most famous daughter. She’d been repairing her bed mattress for years. Asked if it would be simpler to buy a new one, her reply epitomised her approach to life: “It fits the bed perfectly.”

Yet, while Hannah Hauxwell remained a reclusive figure right up until her death, her spirit had a wider resonance. Small in stature, but big in heart, her toil shone a light on farming families and the neglected role of women in a male-dominated industry. She lived a down-to-earth life like no other and will be remembered as an icon of Yorkshire"

"“We are seeing a rather sinister side of the anti-fracking campaign,” she said. “I’ve had hate mail, I’ve had threats. I’ve got a file full of it. I won’t back down.”

“They are going to need a workforce. In this area, we have a de-population of young people. Nobody can afford to buy their own homes as they can’t get a decent wage.

“If we can train young people to work in the industry, they can stay. The community will get community payment.

“If there’s gas there, and a lot, the community could benefit by millions. And we are going to need gas, there’s no argument about that.”

“Kirby Misperton is a small village, with 380 residents,” she said. “Now we’ve got all this police activity – there’s riot vans. There’s nothing wrong with peaceful protest, but the village of Kirby Misperton is under siege. Can you imagine living under this? We’re not used to it..... this is disrupting our lives.”"

"In common with many rural areas, families have drifted away to make their lives elsewhere. So why the exodus? Can it be that second-homers have snapped up all the property, denying homes for locals as the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority rather simplistically asserts? Or is it more nuanced?

Depopulation began over a century ago with the closure of the lead mines, and a legacy of surplus housing left empty or falling into disrepair and dereliction. Mechanisation in agriculture quickly followed, prompting the further flight of families. Tourism arrested the decline, to a certain extent, with new jobs created through second homes and holiday lets...

This changing demographic is the big challenge for the Dales. To create careers, there’s a need for state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure. The mobile phone signal is at best patchy and often non-existent. The high-speed broadband roll-out has helped and brought some permanent residents back, but the network is nowhere near universal."

"..In whatever real-world scenario you choose, we will need gas to generate electricity and heat our homes for the next 20 to 30 years. This leaves us with the simple choice – should we produce and burn our own gas or rely on imports?

I accept the overwhelming evidence that our globe is warming exponentially. An increase in planetary temperatures of four degrees centigrade could lead to a rise in ocean levels of 35 feet, leaving 760 million people homeless and the extinction of almost 40 per cent of our animal and plant species.

A global crisis requires a global response. Good to see, therefore, governments around the world ratifying the Paris Agreement in 2015. The UK is committed to one of the toughest national targets, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. Let us hope that President Trump chooses collaboration over isolation.

Some will raise eyebrows at claims that the UK is leading action on climate change – but the UK is reducing CO2 emissions faster than any other G7 country.

The UK has never been cleaner or greener, having broken 13 renewable energy records in 2017. Last year around 28 per cent of electricity came from renewables, from only 10 per cent in 2010. Around 98 per cent of all solar installations have taken place since 2010, now powering two million UK homes.

Renewables cannot currently compete against existing coal and gas generation, so does require subsidies. These costs are predicted to treble over the next five years, from £4.6 bn in 2015-16 to £13.5 bn in 2021-22, according to figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility. We all pay for this through our electricity bills, amounting to around 20 per cent of charges.

Nevertheless, the Government is rightly determined to meet our targets. But we cannot meet all our energy needs until at least the mid-part of this century.

Gas power generation will be needed to fill gaps left by the closure of coal-powered stations and to continue to heat 22 million UK homes. Official estimates show that our reliance on imported gas will grow from the current 50 per cent to 78 per cent of our needs by 2035. Although Norway is our biggest supplier, we will increasingly need other sources including less environmentally-friendly liquefied natural gas from Qatar and, of course, from Russia.

As former Liberal Democrat Energy Minister Sir Edward Davey said in 2015: “We will need gas, as a bridge to a zero-fossil fuel future, at least for the next two or three decades. That’s reality. And I’d rather use Britain’s gas than Putin’s gas.” Quite.

The economic opportunity is also compelling. Since 1970, the oil and gas industry has paid almost £330bn in direct upstream taxes and a report for the Institute of Directors indicated that shale gas exploration could add 64,000 jobs to the 300,000 already supported by conventional production.

My Thirsk and Malton constituency sits on top of one the country’s largest potential reserves of shale gas. Both as the MP and life-long resident, I could only support exploration if there are strict controls on environmental impact, the preservation of our landscapes and the protection of other economic sectors, particularly food, farming and tourism.

The British Geological Survey will provide independent monitoring of air and water quality and seismic activity. My self-funded visit to the US shale gas capital, Pennsylvania, in 2015 left me in little doubt that these requirements can be met. The US has learned from its early mistakes and production is now well-regulated and safe.

Typically, UK regulations are even more stringent and deliver belt-and-braces levels of protection. In the report on my visit (see www.kevinhollinrake.org.uk/fracking) I argue that we need controls on the number of well-pads, proximity to settlements, traffic movements and direct access to suitable roads. I am pleased to say that many of my recommendations have been adopted within the draft York, North Yorkshire and National Park Minerals and Waste Plan. Along with colleagues, I have secured a complete prohibition of drilling and service activity in the

National Parks, Areas of Outstanding National Beauty and of Special Scientific Interest.

The physical and visual impact of a developed shale gas well pad is very low, in fact little different to the nine conventional well pads that we have had in Ryedale for the last 20+ years, so

I do not expect there to be any lasting impact on house prices. However, there are certainly short-term impacts for local residents, due to traffic movement and noise and light pollution, which is why I believe that at least some of the potential windfall of hundreds of millions of pounds should be paid directly to those residents most affected.

I have been accused of betraying my constituents by supporting exploration in my area. My answer is simple; cross-party support in Parliament determined this as a national opportunity in 2015, I cannot oppose it in my area on the basis that this is a good idea somewhere else."

Kevin Hollinrake is the Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton."

Well Said... Almost Poetic ;-)

And there's more :

“I am hoping to get the support of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, to make the case that North Yorkshire should only stand reduced costs of policing the area as it is clearly a national protest,” he said. Further meetings are arranged for February 27. Mrs Mulligan has previously said she was keeping “a close eye” on the bill. She has already written to the Government in anticipation of costs exceeding one per cent of the budget or £1.4m, after which the force can apply for financial help.

A total of 81 people have now been arrested at protests in North Yorkshire since September, over offences such as aggravated trespass, obstruction of a highway, and assault of a police officer.

In this case, North Yorkshire Police has revealed, a police officer was pushed to the ground by a group of people in October, suffering an ankle injury after a metal ‘lock-on’ device was pushed onto his foot. Two people have been charged in connection with the incident. The force, reiterating its role in facilitating peaceful protest at the site, has said the key challenge is in balancing the rights and wishes of everybody - protesters, businesses and residents going about their daily lives without disruption.

“We will continue to respond proportionately to any protest activity,” said Supt Alisdair Dey, commander for Scarborough and Ryedale. “The safety and well-being of everyone at Kirby Misperton is our priority.”

"The possibility of fracking at Clumber Park has moved a step closer after an energy firm was given the go-ahead to move into the historic country park.

"... commercial director at Ineos Shale, which holds a Government licence to explore for the fossil fuel in areas including parts of north Nottinghamshire, said: "Legal action has been the last resort and we have used powers which prevent landowners from blocking projects which benefit the wider community and the nation as a whole.

"These surveys are both routine and necessary across the UK, including on National Trust land.

"The National Trust’s position is very disappointing as we have had positive relationships with a range of stakeholders and landowners during surveys..

The Oil and Gas Authority’s (OGA) decision follows a bitter and very public battle between Ineos and the National Trust that began in 2016...

“Clumber Park is a Grade I-listed park and gardens, much of which is a site of special scientific interest, and visited by over half a million people each year.

“In our view, Ineos haven’t demonstrated to the Trust why it is necessary to carry out any surveys here or address our other reasons for refusing to grant access.

“We have no wish for our land to play any part in extracting gas or oil. We are already seeing the impacts of climate change at many of our places, and we have launched a programme to dramatically cut our own fossil fuel usage at our properties.

“We’re disappointed by the OGA’s decision but due to the legal status of the case we can't comment any further at this stage.”"